Published: Friday, October 11, 2013 at 2:44 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, October 11, 2013 at 2:44 p.m.

MANATEE COUNTY - The Florida Bar has concluded that Gulfcoast Legal Services executive director Kathleen Mullin did not practice law without a license.

Mullin, who has never been admitted to the Florida Bar, had been the subject of two “unlicensed practice of law,” or UPL, investigations.

She declined to be interviewed for this story, but in an email wrote: “Gulfcoast Legal Services is pleased that The Florida Bar has confirmed that there was no evidence of unlicensed practice of law by GLS or its Executive Director, Kathleen Mullin, which Gulfcoast has known all along.

“This decision shows that the complaints by two disgruntled former employees against GLS were baseless, and were simply attempts to damage their former employer,” Mullin wrote.

The bar itself filed the first UPL complaint against Mullin after the Herald-Tribune published allegations made by the former manager of the nonprofit's Sarasota office, Elizabeth Boyle, whom Mullin fired.

“So what is happening here is that the Florida Bar Counsel is failing to sustain its own complaint?” Boyle said Friday.

Boyle maintains that her firing was partly because of her decision to provide legal assistance to Gina Ruiz, a 29-year-old quadriplegic whose case Mullin ordered Boyle to abandon after Ruiz already was a Gulfcoast client.

Boyle said Mullin ordered her to close more than 100 cases even though she is not licensed to practice law in Florida.

Mullin's firing of Boyle, and dozens of volunteer lawyers who worked with her, has drawn criticism from Southwest Florida's legal community, county officials and the public. The Sarasota County Commission cut off funding to the nonprofit four months ago, and the Manatee County Commission will vote on whether to stop their funds at their next meeting.

In her email, Mullin said she hopes “this decision by The Florida Bar helps the people of Sarasota and Manatee to see that GLS has been and continues to be a high-quality provider for legal services, and that the recent allegations to the contrary are wrong.”

The second UPL complaint came from Carlos Betancourt, an experienced immigration paralegal who resigned from Gulfcoast on Aug. 3.

Betancourt was accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals to handle immigration cases in Tampa. He represented victims of domestic violence and other crimes.

When his Tampa office was slated for closure, Betancourt alleges that Mullin ordered him to start working at the nonprofit's Clearwater office, where he said he is not accredited to practice.

“She's not admitted in Florida and I believe she was forcing me to engage in UPL,” he wrote in his bar complaint.

In an email to the bar's UPL investigator, Betancourt wrote, “Because I refuse to be coerced into a situation where I could be involved in the unauthorized practice of law, I have decided to resign my position from Gulfcoast effective today.”

In a letter to the bar, sent in response to the UPL allegations, James Fox, president of Gulfcoast's board of directors, explained that Mullin does not practice law, even though she heads a legal aid firm.

“The operational structure at Gulfcoast, as described above, is such that Ms. Mullin does not provide or supervise the provision of legal advice or make legal decisions,” Fox wrote. “Such supervision is handled by John Dubrule, the Director of Litigation.”

Nowhere in the complaint documents furnished by the bar are there any investigative reports or summaries.

“That's all that's available as public record,” said Francine Andía Walker, the bar's director of public information. “There was a very thorough investigation, but the investigative reports and discussion by the committee are confidential.”

<p><em>MANATEE COUNTY</em> - The Florida Bar has concluded that Gulfcoast Legal Services executive director Kathleen Mullin did not practice law without a license. </p><p>Mullin, who has never been admitted to the Florida Bar, had been the subject of two “unlicensed practice of law,” or UPL, investigations. </p><p>She declined to be interviewed for this story, but in an email wrote: “Gulfcoast Legal Services is pleased that The Florida Bar has confirmed that there was no evidence of unlicensed practice of law by GLS or its Executive Director, Kathleen Mullin, which Gulfcoast has known all along. </p><p>“This decision shows that the complaints by two disgruntled former employees against GLS were baseless, and were simply attempts to damage their former employer,” Mullin wrote.</p><p>The bar itself filed the first UPL complaint against Mullin after the Herald-Tribune published allegations made by the former manager of the nonprofit's Sarasota office, Elizabeth Boyle, whom Mullin fired.</p><p>“So what is happening here is that the Florida Bar Counsel is failing to sustain its own complaint?” Boyle said Friday.</p><p>Boyle maintains that her firing was partly because of her decision to provide legal assistance to Gina Ruiz, a 29-year-old quadriplegic whose case Mullin ordered Boyle to abandon after Ruiz already was a Gulfcoast client.</p><p>Boyle said Mullin ordered her to close more than 100 cases even though she is not licensed to practice law in Florida.</p><p>Mullin's firing of Boyle, and dozens of volunteer lawyers who worked with her, has drawn criticism from Southwest Florida's legal community, county officials and the public. The Sarasota County Commission cut off funding to the nonprofit four months ago, and the Manatee County Commission will vote on whether to stop their funds at their next meeting. </p><p>In her email, Mullin said she hopes “this decision by The Florida Bar helps the people of Sarasota and Manatee to see that GLS has been and continues to be a high-quality provider for legal services, and that the recent allegations to the contrary are wrong.”</p><p>The second UPL complaint came from Carlos Betancourt, an experienced immigration paralegal who resigned from Gulfcoast on Aug. 3.</p><p>Betancourt was accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals to handle immigration cases in Tampa. He represented victims of domestic violence and other crimes. </p><p>When his Tampa office was slated for closure, Betancourt alleges that Mullin ordered him to start working at the nonprofit's Clearwater office, where he said he is not accredited to practice.</p><p>“She's not admitted in Florida and I believe she was forcing me to engage in UPL,” he wrote in his bar complaint. </p><p>In an email to the bar's UPL investigator, Betancourt wrote, “Because I refuse to be coerced into a situation where I could be involved in the unauthorized practice of law, I have decided to resign my position from Gulfcoast effective today.”</p><p>In a letter to the bar, sent in response to the UPL allegations, James Fox, president of Gulfcoast's board of directors, explained that Mullin does not practice law, even though she heads a legal aid firm. </p><p>“The operational structure at Gulfcoast, as described above, is such that Ms. Mullin does not provide or supervise the provision of legal advice or make legal decisions,” Fox wrote. “Such supervision is handled by John Dubrule, the Director of Litigation.”</p><p>Nowhere in the complaint documents furnished by the bar are there any investigative reports or summaries.</p><p>“That's all that's available as public record,” said Francine Andía Walker, the bar's director of public information. “There was a very thorough investigation, but the investigative reports and discussion by the committee are confidential.”</p>